An Impenetrable Cliff
Raven was a B-rank martial Awakener.
That alone made him plenty strong, but he was also a trained soldier who handled all sorts of firearms with expert ease.
He wasn't a magic gunner, but he wielded guns just as skillfully as they did.
Sword and gun.
Two weapons that seemed utterly incompatible harmonized perfectly in his hands, unleashing devastating power.
Raven didn't even think to draw his sword.
He was confident he could handle this with just his gun.
The pistol in his grip was a Desert Eagle.
An antique from the old world, before everything went to hell.
A hunk of junk that wouldn't have fired back then had been reborn as the ultimate man-killer thanks to an enchanter's touch.
One shot from this thing would blow most Awakeners' heads open like overripe watermelons.
No matter how skilled an Awakener, no one dodges a bullet point-blank.
Raven aimed the Desert Eagle squarely at Zeon's forehead and spoke.
"Think of it as bad luck. Your fate just ends here."
"Don't go deciding someone else's fate on your own. I'm not that cheap."
"Yeah? Too bad."
Raven grinned and pulled the trigger.
Click!
The sound of the hammer dropping echoed sharply.
But no bullet came flying out as expected.
"What the hell? Is it jammed?"
Raven stared at the Desert Eagle in disbelief.
A normal gun might jam.
But this wasn't a normal gun.
It was an item enhanced by a master enchanter.
Not out in the desert's brutal sands, but right here in Neo Seoul—there was no reason for it to fail like this.
Raven tilted the pistol. Fine sand trickled out from the barrel and chamber.
"Sand? Why the fuck is there sand inside my gun?"
Raven's face twisted in absurd shock before he could stop it.
He maintained this gun meticulously at all times.
He'd checked it before coming here.
No issues then.
He glared at Zeon.
"Your doing?"
"Who knows!"
"Magic type, huh. Figures, pulling tricks like that."
"Could be a trick. Could be skill."
Zeon smirked faintly.
That smug look pissed Raven off.
"Let's see if you can smile with your head cut off."
Shing!
Raven whipped out the sword strapped to his back.
The blade sliced through the air like lightning, reaching Zeon's neck in an instant.
Clang!
At that moment, Zeon deflected it with a gauntlet-clad fist.
"Not magic—martial type after all?"
"Figure it out yourself."
"Was planning to anyway."
Swoosh!
Raven swung his sword with terrifying speed.
His swordsmanship was precise and sharp, backed by overwhelming power.
A frail human body would split in two the instant it touched that edge.
But only if it actually connected.
Zeon dodged every attack by a hair's breadth.
When evasion wasn't an option, he blocked or parried with the Superheat Gauntlet.
Enraged, Raven drew the submachine gun hidden in his coat.
"You slippery rat! Dodge this!"
Rat-tat-tat!
Without a second's hesitation, he unleashed a hail of bullets that could punch through ten centimeters of steel plate.
Even the strongest Awakeners would flinch under that barrage. But Zeon didn't dodge—he charged straight in.
Bang-bang-bang!
Countless rounds slammed into Zeon's body.
But not a single one penetrated.
Thanks to the robe he wore.
Made from Leviathan hide, it wasn't about to be pierced by something this trivial.
His face was the only exposed part, and even that he shielded with the Superheat Gauntlet.
Raven's eyes bulged.
"Goddamn it!"
Thud!
A brutal impact hammered his gut.
Zeon's kick.
"Guh!"
Raven flew back with a choked groan.
Zeon pursued, swinging a fist.
Crack!
"Hurgh!"
Raven let out a muffled cry amid the explosive impact.
He'd barely blocked, but the shockwave still rattled his organs.
"What the hell are you? What are you, you bastard?!"
Raven roared and lunged.
＊＊＊
Atop a building overlooking the plaza stood an old man leaning on a cane and twin sisters who looked exactly like him.
The twins gasped in awe at Zeon and Raven's clash.
"Whoa!"
"Never seen Raven—that human hunter—cornered like that before."
The twins' eyes widened like they'd stumbled on a rare show.
Even the old man beside them let out a murmur of admiration.
"Raven's a solid B-rank, but to push him into a corner like that..."
Raven was no pushover.
Combining guns and sword made him a nightmare to face.
By normal standards, anyway.
To the old man and the twins, it didn't matter.
They were far too strong to lose to the likes of him.
The twins turned to the old man in unison.
"Who is that guy?"
"Know anything?"
The old man shook his head.
"No clue. First time seeing him today."
"Even Gramps doesn't know?"
"Huh."
The old man—called Gramps—chuckled at the twins' words.
Everyone else addressed him as High Elder or sir. Only the twins called him Gramps.
They were that close.
"I don't know everything. World's a big place."
"Not everything, huh."
"We just gonna let it play out?"
Zeon and Raven's fight was intensifying.
No major damage yet, but if it kept going, bystanders would get hurt bad.
The High Elder spoke.
"No need for me to step in. That guy's steering it to minimize collateral."
His eyes were locked on Zeon.
The twins hadn't noticed, but Zeon's movements were cunning.
He funneled all of Raven's attacks onto himself, sparing the surroundings. And he deftly redirected the focused assault, dispersing its force.
No serious injuries or deaths so far.
The twins chimed in turn.
"Martial type?"
"What's his rank?"
"B-rank at least."
"He's strong."
"Not for us, though."
"Obviously not."
"Should we jump in?"
"Wanna?"
The High Elder shook his head, cutting in.
"Don't."
"Think we'd lose?"
"Lose?"
"Nah, but he'd be a pain. Guys like that? If you don't one-shot 'em, the backlash is a nightmare."
The twins furrowed their brows in sync at his answer.
They pondered for a moment, then spoke together.
"Don't like the hassle."
"Hate it!"
"Just watch, then."
"Yeah!"
The High Elder smiled at their chatter.
The twins were Eun Su-jin and Eun Su-young.
Members of the Numbers, just like the High Elder.
The Numbers.
Neo Seoul Mayor Jin Geum-ho's personal execution squad.
When some massive incident threatened the city's foundations, or when it was time to eliminate Jin Geum-ho's enemies, they deployed.
Every member was an S-rank or A-rank Awakener.
The Silver Twins wielded potent telepathy.
They could infiltrate minds, sow chaos, or outright control foes.
Any B-rank or lower stood no chance—they dropped before they could react.
The High Elder was a barrier master.
If he willed it, he could envelop the entire plaza in an unbreakable barrier.
His barriers severed all ties to reality.
Nothing escaped until he released it.
His combat prowess was lacking, but his barriers more than compensated—versatile enough to rank him among the Numbers' elite.
"Thanks to the mayor, we're getting a hell of a show. Top-tier fight for sure. Heh heh!"
Jin Geum-ho had summoned him covertly as the coordinator.
The coordinator kept things in balance.
Jin Geum-ho wanted the board to expand, but not explode beyond control.
A shattered Neo Seoul would hurt him too.
That's why he dispatched the High Elder and the twins discreetly.
They had the perfect skills for the job.
The High Elder had grumbled about the hassle at first.
Not as long as Jin Geum-ho, but he'd lived through ages.
Seen countless crises.
Thrived on them in his youth, but age dulled the thrill.
He'd been mulling retirement from the Numbers. Yet Zeon and Raven's duel reignited his curiosity.
The battle grew fiercer by the second.
Furious, Raven threw everything at Zeon.
Rat-tat-tat!
Spraying the submachine gun wildly, slashing with his sword. But nothing landed.
Raven was a famed human hunter in the East District.
His strength was proven.
He was strong.
But not now.
Powerless before someone stronger.
"What are you? What the fuck are you?!"
Raven finally bellowed in rage.
His psyche had already crumbled.
Zeon was an absolute cliff.
Impossibly high—no thought of toppling or climbing it.
Zeon could end him anytime.
But he held back, thanks to that prickling sensation he'd felt lately.
Someone watching.
Zeon heightened his senses, scanning the area.
No luck finding the source.
Not hidden behind obstacles or in buildings—he'd have spotted that.
'A barrier isolating the space?'
Ordinary Awakeners wouldn't think that far.
But Zeon wasn't ordinary.
Eight years wandering the desert, facing all sorts.
Some hid with barriers or magic circles.
Tough at first, but he learned their tricks.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a sandstorm swept the plaza.
Sandstorms were common—no one batted an eye.
But this one was special.
Zeon summoned it.
It engulfed the plaza.
And in that moment, Zeon saw it.
The one spot the sand avoided.
Where the High Elder and twins stood.
'There.'
Zeon's gaze drifted naturally to the rooftop.
The High Elder shivered.
Their eyes met head-on.
'Did that guy... see me?'